Keeping Up With The Joneses

09Aug

In the midst of the country’s “bad credit”, a continuing recession and a majority preoccupied with materialism, a movie like The Joneses is perfect.

The premise: a marketing firm, Lifetime Industries, represents clients and markets their products and services. The catch: the firm hires actors who are grouped as “families” and live as such. They portray the perfect, beautiful neighbors and are placed across the globe in enviable homes, to consume and therefore increase the demand for said products.

The “boss” of this particular family (Demi Moore) is seasoned at the company and recruits her new “husband” who has to learn the biz and boost his sales. They have two children and all are paid very well. Each family member is able to go online and track individual sales numbers and percentage growth. A supervisor also checks in to brief them on the next big thing (clothing, cars, travel services, food, jewelry).

My daughter caught a piece of it and asked if it was true- if firms really hire and place “families.” I told her no, but then again, who knows…

This is an intriguing movie and raises many questions about consumerism, family dynamics, ethics, priorities and materialism. If nothing else, it is original.